Page 123 of Puck You Both

We come apart in stages and end up in a sprawl no one designs, Theo boneless between us with one leg hooked over mine and his face turned into Patrick's knee, smug even with his eyes shut. He's earned it. Patrick's thumb moves once against the back of my neck, the same slow pass I gave him at the start of this whole night, a confession ago, returned with interest.

The word Theo let loose earlier is still somehow present, even if unsaid. It's there in the wreck we've made of the cushions and in the warm weight of the hand on my neck.

Some words you don't get to say out loud. You just let them be true anyway.

Chapter 23

WALL

THE VERSION OF tonight that goes perfectly lives in my breast pocket, laminated, and I fully intend to make it a reality, because I. Am. Prepared.

Cocktails, remarks, the reveal, auction, dancing, teardown. I've confirmed the vendors twice and the podium mic three times, and I personally walked the ballroom this afternoon flagging trip hazards for a hotel employee who kept assuring me that was her job.

Nothing about this gala can surprise me.

The laminate also has a tab nobody else's copy has. Tab six: Orbit management.

A ballroom has geometry, and geometry can be planned ahead for. I will stand near my co-chair and his winger during professionally plausible windows only. The photo call, the reveal. Maybe one public goodbye. Everything in between, I will rotate. Wolves table, sponsors, bar, repeat. A man who rotates is a man with nothing to hide.

Right?

I built the system at my kitchen counter last night, and it's airtight.

It survives eleven minutes of gala.

Then Theo walks in wearing a tuxedo, and my rotation develops a wobble. He's supposed to look like every other man in here. That's the entire point of black tie—it's a uniform. Instead he looks like the reason the uniform was invented, to rob everyone else of a fighting chance, and he knows it, because he adjusts his cuff at the exact moment I'm looking and doesn't glance my way even once.

That is fine. Everything’s fine.

I resume rotation.

Patrick arrives two minutes behind him, cause strategy. His tux fits like it consulted him first. He crosses the floor greeting sponsors by name.

Rotate, Wallace.

I rotate directly into Devon, who is surveying the room over the rim of a champagne flute. "Four dozen," he says. "I counted."

"Four dozen what?"

"Penguins." He gestures at the ballroom with the flute, where two almost-full rosters are milling around. "When I met you people it was two dozen penguins trashing one bar, and now look. The colony has doubled."

"We prefer gala."

"You would." He pats my lapel and his eyes lift to my hair. "Red hair, black tux. You look like a fire alarm that just got promoted."

I get pulled away before I can decide whether that was a compliment, because I am the co-chair of this entire operation, and everybody wants a piece of the co-chair. I hand out pieces all night while my peripheral vision keeps tabs on where two particular people are standing at all times.

Frank has annexed the west wall. Catering is his tonight—his tables, his staff, Kayla and Hunter working the long bar. Frank himself isn't serving anything. He's walking the buffet line pressing down on each table with both hands, testing the load rating, glancing over at the Wolves' section between presses.

There's also a fire extinguisher parked under the dessert table.

"Expecting trouble?" I ask once I’ve rotated to where he’s working.

"I've catered for you people before. I’m not taking any chances."

Smart man.

Petrov materializes at my elbow during rotation two, holding a champagne flute strictly as a prop. "Resplendent," he states without context, and turns to the nearest donor. "You are resplendent." She lights up like he's knighted her. He's been working the room like this all evening, one compliment at a time, aim improving with every deployment, and I'd bet the auction numbers are up because of it. Then he looks up to the just-refreshed angry red on my head. "You are also resplendent. Is word of the day. Spend it wisely."